The Unofficial 7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless Canada Consumer Page 
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5:19 am
March 2, 2011
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I called Speakout today. They said that they were aware of the problem and are attempting to resolve the conflict. I told them that I bought the service, in December, to test if Speakout met my expectations (Unproxied Data), I further told them that I fully migrated to speakout in January because Speakout Data met/exceeded my expectations. Now, the beginning of February, the Speakout Data does not even compare to what was being offered for the months of December and January. I already purchased the $100 credit. They offered to resolve the issue within a few days or place a refund in the form of a gift card.
5:46 am
June 3, 2011
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raleybob said:
I called Speakout today. They said that they were aware of the problem and are attempting to resolve the conflict.
So, are you saying that SO is committed to providing Unproxied Data? And it's not just a fluke, they intend to continue to provide this service in the future once it's fixed?
If that's the case that's the first time I've heard that. I've been going on the assumption that there were no assurances and no promises from SO. Our $10 entitled us to UMB, no more.
Please confirm.
6:26 am
March 2, 2011
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They have acknowledged the change in service and are finding a way to solve the issue, whether that be by unproxied service or refund.
6:46 am
March 10, 2010
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raleybob said:
They have acknowledged the change in service and are finding a way to solve the issue, whether that be by unproxied service or refund.
They will not do either of those things. You are on an unsupported phone, data would work as it should if you were on a supported phone.
7:07 am
March 15, 2008
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Let's see what SpeakOut actually advertises:
For $10 a month, you get unlimited browsing. This means you can surf the web, check your Facebook, or if you’re feeling hungry, find the closest 7-Eleven. All right from your phone, 24/7.
Notice that they don't define what they mean by "browsing." Notice that they don't highlight or even hint at how restrictive it really is. Notice that they don't tell you that you're going to get 2G speeds even as all other carriers provide 3G and are rapidly transitioning to 4G. To the contrary, they tell you about all the cool stuff you can do with UMB.
But do they tell you that while you can check your Facebook using your browser, you can't do it the way everyone else with a smartphone does by using the Facebook icon that drives the Facebook app on your phone? Do they warn you that while you can access Gmail (and Gcal etc.) using your browser, if you try to access them using the nifty icons that your phone manufacturer placed for your convenience on your Home screen then that won't work? Do they tell you that if you're hungry you have to use Google Search and Google Maps on your browser to find a nearby 7-11 instead of smartphone apps like everyone with a smartphone can do?
Worse, they allowed wide open 3G November, December and January. People who got (or gave) a SO phone for Christmas and started using it without realizing that they were supposed to get only restricted 2G browsing are now shocked by what's happened. They couldn't have seen this coming because their experience of SO's "browsing" all happened in Nov/Dec/Jan when everything worked. So they probably had no idea of how restrictive SO "browsing" would be and they now feel as if they've been cheated. The same applies to those who bought a $100 airtime credit in Nov/Dec in order to get $125 credit to use to fund UMB for a whole year and now find that they have $100 of credit they no longer need because they have to change carriers in order to get unrestricted 3G.
This could turn into a real PR nightmare for 7-11. Anyone who feels they were misled in Nov/Dec should make their views known to SO customer service now. Swamping their CS lines is good. Use the arguments above. Express your displeasure. Be polite and professional, but tell them how you feel.
Then, if SO doesn't resolve this issue quickly, contact your local consumer affairs reporter (e.g. Ellen Roseman at Toronto Star.) Also use social media like Facebook and Twitter to publicize this far and wide. (Of course you'll have to use your browser rather than the FB and T apps on your smartphone.)
Let's see if we can't turn this around.
P.S. I agree that abusers probably caused Robbers to tighten up their service. I'm OK with throttling, if not stopping, people who use more than some reasonable amount of bandwidth per month. Someone on RFD claimed that SO was flagging people who use over 350MB per month. That seems like a reasonable threshold for normal mobile usage, i.e. not for tethering, file sharing, video streaming, etc.
7:13 am
March 10, 2010
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Also from the website...
“Can I use any other phones with the unlimited browsing — you know, phone swap?”
“SpeakOut Wireless offers a wide range of handsets that support the unlimited browsing feature. While other data capable handsets may work on our service, we cannot guarantee service. SpeakOut Wireless customer service agents cannot assist with data configuration settings for non-SpeakOut Wireless handsets.”
also
Please note that if you are using a handset that was not purchased from 7-Eleven SpeakOut Wireless, our Customer Service agents will not be able to troubleshoot your issue. If you are still having trouble, contact your handset manufacturer.”
7:16 am
March 10, 2010
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also...
Voice and texting services are supported on non-SpeakOut handsets, and data service will vary for non-SpeakOut handsets. Beware: Customer Care agents are not able to support or troubleshoot data settings for non-SpeakOut handsets, so make sure you know a thing or two about your phone.”
7:43 am
March 15, 2008
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And from Nokia's description of the Robbers/SpeakOut C3:
Email and messaging
• Easy access to your email accounts, including Yahoo!® Mail, Gmail™, Windows Live™, Hotmail™ and other popular POP/IMAP services
• Easy Ovi Mail free email account creation directly from phone
• Instant messaging through Windows Live Messenger™, Yahoo!® Messenger, Google Talk™ and Ovi Chat
• Conversational SMS for chat-style text messages
SMS, MMS
• Nokia Xpress audio messagingBrowsing and internet
• Web browsing of real web pages through Nokia OSS web browser
...
• Supported protocols: HTTP, WAP
• TCP/IP support
...
• Communities widget on home screen shows live feeds from Facebook and Twitter
That stuff worked on Nokia C3s bought from SpeakOut—until yesterday. How could someone have reasonably anticipated that from the SO FAQ's you've quoted?
Remember most people who use SO aren't engineers or lawyers. They're ordinary people who see that, say Facebook and Gmail, are supported under "unlimited browsing" and reasonably assume that holds true with smartphones, both those sold by SO and others.
7:44 am
February 1, 2012
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I emailed my complaint. I filled up one account with $100 to get the $25 additional. I also started a new data chip on January 31! Everything was tickety-boo and then Feb 1, Rogers lowers the boom.
7:53 am
February 1, 2012
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I hope it gets cleared up soon. I dont like being forced to use everything through my web browser.
7:53 am
March 2, 2011
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@andreww All the things you have quoted is about Speakout not garunteeing data service functioning on unsupported phones. They are saying that some phones won't work with data (eg Locked phones or Nokia 1661) and there will be some that work with Speakout (iPhone, Nexus). They say they will not be able to provide technical service in SETTING UP data. I have data working on my iPhone. It's a different type of data than the one that I was under the impression I was getting.
In addition. With the promotion, I was able to purchase the Nokia C3 (from Speakout) at the discounted price. Features on the Nokia C3 such as MSN, Facebook, mail worked before, not it is not working anymore. Should I blame Speakout for these services not working? They do carry the phone and the phone advertises premium service over cellular data.
Also, i would like to add a definition of Con Artist "Con artists make money through deception. They lie, cheat and fool people into thinking they've happened onto a great deal or some easy money, when they're the ones who'll be making money."
The deception is providing unproxied data during a promotion to attract customers. The new customers are under the impression that they get unlimited, unrestricted data which is referred to as the "great deal". Once the promotion has ended, Speakout gives its customers proxied data. They did not inform the customer that there will be a service change, aware the customer they were recieving premium data or anything. Now one may argue that ROGERS is at fault, however that argument overlooks that Speakout lacks affiliation with the ROGERS company, so any service change to Speakout customers, Speakout needs to solve on their own, or they are essentially conning all Speakout customers.
Some solutions I could suggest to Speakout are:
- Restore unrestricted data
- Refund Speakout customers
- Provide capped data (eg 1gb) while keeping the same price.
- Compensate Speakout Customers
8:01 am
April 4, 2011
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at least the speed is slow, all apps works except VOIP. Voip can regist and make a call ring, but not voice. Skype is fine. The weird thing is, on Nokia C3, most of app include some use UDP can work.
8:04 am
February 6, 2011
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It's all very clever of you to quote from the bible of Speakout, but all that tells us is that they cannot/won't help with problems relating to non-Speakout handsets. Nowhere do they say that if a phone suddenly develops an "issue" which is down to something which they have altered, that they can say "screw you, we've got your money already".
8:10 am
February 1, 2012
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SO can ignore this at their own peril I'm afraid. Rogers is a co-conspirator.
My phone says Speakout 3G on it. The speed is sloowwer.
8:22 am
March 2, 2011
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I believe the best way for Speakout to get out of this situation is to provide customers who used the $100 promotion and have the unlimited mobile browsing plan, unlimited unrestricted data for the next 10 months. They will probably lose a lot of money purchasing large amounts of data tiers from ROGERS and will probably lose a lot of customers after the 10 month duration.
8:24 am
March 10, 2010
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raleybob said:
I have data working on my iPhone. It's a different type of data than the one that I was under the impression I was getting.
And where did you get that impression??? Certainly not from Speakout! If you look at the data settings provided on speakouts site, it clearly states that you need a proxy.
In addition. With the promotion, I was able to purchase the Nokia C3 (from Speakout) at the discounted price. Features on the Nokia C3 such as MSN, Facebook, mail worked before, not it is not working anymore. Should I blame Speakout for these services not working? They do carry the phone and the phone advertises premium service over cellular data.
Nowhere does speakout suggest that MSN would work.
Social Networking (Facebook, Twitter)
OVI Mail (free email account)
SMS
Wi-Fi connectivity
MP3 Player
2 megapixel Camera
FM Radio
Bluetooth
2G Web Browser
Voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, three-way calling
The deception is providing unproxied data during a promotion to attract customers. The new customers are under the impression that they get unlimited, unrestricted data which is referred to as the "great deal". Once the promotion has ended, Speakout gives its customers proxied data.
Thats a stretch. Speakout has never to my knowledge advertised their data for anything more than it is.
- Restore unrestricted data
Not going to happen
- Refund Speakout customers
Why should they?
- Provide capped data (eg 1gb) while keeping the same price.
Not going to happen. How would Rogers explain that one to all those people paying $25/mo for 500mb
- Compensate Speakout Customers
Sure, next month you can use twice as much data
8:33 am
March 10, 2010
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JonnyIreland said:
It's all very clever of you to quote from the bible of Speakout, but all that tells us is that they cannot/won't help with problems relating to non-Speakout handsets. Nowhere do they say that if a phone suddenly develops an "issue" which is down to something which they have altered, that they can say "screw you, we've got your money already".
I'm not being clever about anything. I've been a long time Speakout user and was quite aware of the limitations of Speakout data. I suspect you were too, until a couple of months ago. We all knew it probably wouldn't last, and said as much on these forums. Hell, Speakout was only 2G when I signed up! They never advertised or insinuated that you would ever get more than that. After more than a year of 3G access that is faster than Rogers 3G, they have not asked for one dime more in monthly fees.
If you don't like it, go somewhere else (although I doubt you will).
8:46 am
March 10, 2010
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jimbo said:
SO
My phone says Speakout 3G on it. The speed is sloowwer.
Just ran a speed test.
1.59MBps Unproxied on January 9th
1.39MBps Proxied today
Not really a huge difference, and probably unnoticeable while browsing.
8:56 am
February 1, 2012
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I was getting 6 mbps dl and 1 mbps ul all the time.
I'm now getting 1 Mbps dl with a lot of hops to get to speakout's pop.
Rogers lowered the boom...nationally. All at once. Feb 1.
8:57 am
February 6, 2011
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andreww said:
I am not a long time user, I activated the data feature one month ago -in fact, I just received a text stating that they just renewed the data feature for another month.
